I Didn't Just Hear That
by Liz Lavenderis
Summary: Annabeth likes Percy, but when is he going to take the hint? Unfortunately, something happens that allows Annabeth and Percy to hear each other's thoughts! This year, there will be a demigod team race across America. Through the events, will Annabeth discover a secret Percy has been keeping as well? (Story based on dnapolymerase314)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N My first Percabeth story! This idea is from dnapolymerase316, who never finished her story, so I decided to finish it for you guys. Please read! Thanks! :)**

Aphrodite. Why. Can't. You. Leave. Me. Alone. Or us alone, actually. Percy and I. She gets me so mad I just want to shove that pink bottle of perfume up her skinny- fine, you get the idea. Argh. Maybe I should explain what happened.

I woke up in the morning, feeling refreshed and energetic. No one was going to ruin this perfect day. Since there was no training, Percy and I decided to go canoeing at the lake. YESH. I'm soo excited! Did I mention I have a little, ah, crush in Percy? No surprise there, I guess. I mean, every girl likes him. He has these gorgeous green eyes, a very visible 6-pack, a deep tan... Oh right. I'm getting carried away. Sorry. The thing is, Percy is just clueless. We've been friends for so long, and he doesn't seem to want to take a step further. Humph. I wonder how long I can wait. Anyway, back to reality. I jumped up, and grabbed random clothes from my closet. Let's see, I came up with: a loose gray t-shirt with a large owl on it (go Athena!), and a pair of skinny dark-wash jeans. I laced up my neon green converse, grabbed my dagger, and ran out of my cabin.

"Percy!" I screamed when I arrived at his cabin. "Wake up! Canoeing, remember?"

"Wait, lemme sleep for a while longer," he mumbled with his eyes still closed, turning around so he was facing me. What a lazy butt. Oh, wait. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Ahh! I hope I'm not drooling.

"Get up!" I yelled, louder as I threw a pillow at him. It bounced right off. Oh, those abs of steel. It's just not fair. It's like he's the porch light and I'm the moth. Well, I don't get how porch lights are attractive, but that's not the point.

"Ughokwaitformeoutside," he mumbled.

Five minutes later, he came out fully dressed. *mental sigh* "So, canoeing." He said. "Wanna do something more fun? Like sleeping?" My eyes widened.

"Um... what exactly do you mean by that?" I asked, hoping I wasn't actually blushing.

Percy flushed. "No! No, not that way," he said, realizing his mistake. "Nevermind, let's just go."

We walked together through the maze of cabins. I could hear shouting coming from the Ares cabin (as usual), gossiping from the Aphrodite cabin (as usual), and the sound of hammers on metal from the Hephaestus (as usual). It was a pretty normal day. When we passed the campfire, I smelled something suspiciously like 10 different perfumes combined together.

Suddenly, through a puff of perfume, someone materialized before us. Aphrodite. Ew. I tried not to gag. This day was NOT going to be normal anymore. Out of all the gods, I think I like Aphrodite the least. Along with Hera, of course. The cow poop. Right. Back with the story. "Hey, Percy, Annabeth," Aphrodite gushed.

"Lady Aphrodite," Percy said, staring at her as if she was the world's largest pizza. "Pleasure to meet you." I tried restrain myself from punching him in the stomach.

"What brings you here?" I asked her, getting right to business as usual.

"Well, I need to give my kids fashion advice, because I think they might be a little behind on the trends," she said. I snorted. They had the most fashionable clothes anyone could get. "Oh, and since you two are here, I need you to help me," she added.

"Anything, my lady," Percy said. 'Boys', I thought. Their brains were the size of peas.

"I invented a new perfume," Aphrodite said. "I need you two to try it out for me."

"Never will I-" I started, but Aphrodite had already taken out a bottle of pink perfume and sprayed it on us. I choked, coughing on the sickly sweet smell. Percy was doing the same.

'Why did she do this to us?' a voice in my head said.

'I know right!' I thought back.

'I mean, she is totally hot, but I wouldn't want to be sprayed by some random perfume. I'll reek for months!'

What?! That was definitely NOT my thought. Aphrodite, hot? NO WAY WOULD I EVER-

'Annabeth?' that voice in my head said.

'Yes?' I responded.

'OMG WE CAN TALK USING OUR MINDS THAT IS SO COOL' that voice said.

'WHAT?' I thought. Oh no. This is not good at all. 'Percy?' I though tentatively.

'Yup, that's me,' he said.

"APHRODITE!" I screamed. I looked around. Where was she? "APHRODITE!" I screamed again. No answer, but I got a few dirty looks thrown in my direction. Oh, she is so going down. I will not share a mind connection with Perseus. No, no, no.

"Come on, let's go talk to Chiron," I said out loud.

"Ok, Percy replied.

Chiron was at the big house. "Chiron?" I asked. "I think there is a problem with the minds of Percy and I. We are somehow connected. We can hear each other's thoughts. Do you have a way to help?"

Chiron just stared. Then he burst out laughing. "No way! How's that even possible?"

'Chiron, the great know-it-all immortal centaur, not believing that our mind connection is real.' I thought. 'Just great.'

'Hey, well, look on the bright side.' Percy thought back. 'We can communicate without using our mouths. How cool is that?'

'Yeah, but we'll know each others secrets, right?' Like the fact that Percy's so gorgeous and his green eyes are so mesmerizing...

'I heard that, you know,' Percy thought. 'I know I'm beautiful too.'

ARGH! He heard that! I have to be more careful about what I'm thinking from now on.

**A/N So how was it? Did you like it? Reviewers get some perfume. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey y'all! Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites! Ok, to clear things up, this story's idea is from dnapolymerase314 (I got her username wrong in the first chapter). I do not intend to copy anything. My main purpose of writing this story is to finish it for her, and for you guys to read how the rest of the story goes. I honesly wanted the ending too, but I guess she isn't going to update it anymore. I hope you understand. Now, back to the story :)**

* * *

**Oh, btw, BOLD font will be Percy's thoughts, and **_ITALICS_ **will be Annabeth's thoughts.**

* * *

Yeah, after that little incident I decided to ditch Percy. Maybe if I went a little further away from him, the connection wouldn't be as good. And you know what? For the first time, I was wrong.

**You are always wrong.**

_Oh, just shut up._

I paced back and forth in my cabin, wondering what to do. I'd have to go to Aphrodite, which is the last thing I'd want to do, but it was the only choice I had. And Percy. I like him, but I do not want him to know. What if he figures out and does not like me back? That's probably the most likely thing to happen. As of now, I could also hear bits of his conversations. He was talking to Drew, that Aphrodite chick.

**_Heyy Percyy._**** Oh, hi Drew. ****_So, what's up? You wanna hang out? _**Oh no, I was NOT going to let Drew hang out with Percy.

_TELL HER WE'RE GOING CANOEING!_ Percy seemed a little surprised at my outburst.

**Oh, um I'm going to go canoeing with Annabeth... so yeah... see you later?**

_Oh please. You're so awkward, I don't get why a girl would want to hang out with you._

**But you are a girl ;)**

_Touché._

I met Percy at the lake. "Hey Annabeth," he greeted, grinning.

"Percy," I replied. I needed some time to think. For some reason, the 'but you are a girl' comment kept replaying in my head.

**I'll think with you.**

_Ok._

I felt the boat rock gently. It was nice out here, actually. I felt Percy staring at me. What was he trying to do? Burn a hole through my head with his laser stare? Uh oh. Was I blushing? Then, I started a little chant. Avoid his gaze, avoid his gaze... **Avoid his gaze? What? Oh, man. She looks so cute. No actually, super hot. Or, top-notch beautiful. Or-**

_Can you stop thinking about how pretty I am? I let's just say I'm the prettiest of all. Ok?_

Percy visibly blushed. **Ok, you are the prettiest of all. **

My turn to blush. _Um, thanks?_

Percy smiled. **Annabeth, I lo-**

"Percy! Annabeth!" someone called, on the land. Grover. Why saytr, why? I was just going to hear something from Percy's mind. "Chiron has an announcement to make!"

"Why can't it wait?" I asked somewhat grumpily.

"It's really important."

Rolling my eyes, I made Percy used his super cool water powers to bring us back to land.** I know you wish you had my power.**

_At least being the daughter of Athena means I'm smarter than you, Seaweed Brain._

Chiron, being that in-a-hurry centaur, decided to make the "important" announcement AFTER dinner. "Attention, campers!" he shouted when we were done shoving food down our throats. "This year, the gods are proud to host the Across the Country Race! The point of the race is to have fun and bond our different cabins! You will partner up with whoever you want. The major gods Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Ares, Aphrodite, Demeter, and Dionysus will be making up challenges for you to face."

"You all still have to call me Mr. D, or else I'll turn you into dolphins," Mr. D grumbled.

Chiron continued. "If you complete the challenge, you will be able to move on to the next challenge. The challenges will be located across the United States. It will go from New York to California. You will have two weeks to complete this race. The first pair to Sacramento, California wins! The gods will be funding this trip, so you can stay wherever you want and eat whatever you want. However, there are a couple of rules to follow. Number one, no slowing down other teams. Number two, no alliances are allowed, and number three, you must pair up with someone from a different cabin. Contestants must be older than 16." There were some groans at that.

"Hey, Annabeth!" someone called. I turned, and found myself face-to-face with that totally hot Apollo guy, Nick. "Hey, want to be partners?" I was just about to say that I already had a partner, when Percy showed up.

"She's my partner already," he said, putting his arm around my shoulder. I could feel his muscles through my shirt. Not helping. "Annabeth's MINE." I froze, but decided to pretend to take it lightly. _Well, Percy. Possessive much?_

**What? I want you to be my partner.**

_Ok. Me too. _

**:D it would be nice to have a brain in our group. **

_So you're admitting you have no brain. _

**Something like that. ;) **

Nick glared at Percy. "Ok, he said. Fine." He stalked off to Drew's direction. _  
_

"Listen up!" Chiron called. "The race would start tomorrow at 7 o'clock morning sharp. All the pairs would go to Mount Olympus. For your task. If you wake up late, that would be your fault. Have a good night's sleep, and good luck!"

I could hear Percy groan mentally. **I can't wake up in time! **

_Man up. _

**But...I am manly enough! See my killer abs? **

_Percy..._

**Fine.**

_You must be ready no later than 6:30 ok?_

**I get it. And then you say, "If you're out later that, I will kick your butt."**

"Yes, you know I will," I said out loud.

**A/N I know, this chapter probably used some of dnapolymerase314's lines, like the "possessive" part, but I'm going to make the story more original from now on. I will not be using the same challenges that she used. Anyway, sorry for the rant.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I apollogize (ahaha see what I did there?) for not uploading fast enough. I'm kinda busy, with the finals. I changed my pen name too :) Enjoy this chapter!**

I woke up just in time. Six o'clock, an hour before we were allowed to head to Mount Olympus. I really wanted to win this contest. It would be so cool holding the trophy with Percy. I'm glad I got to be partners with him. **I know, I'm just that important, aren't I?**

_Good! You're awake. I didn't expect that, actually._

**Well, I don't want to be kicked in the butt, so I woke up early. Never underestimate Annabeth's butt-kicking skills. Hey, talking like this is so much easier! I can save the energy it takes to walk to your cabin.**

_Yeah, of course you would say that, you lazy butt. My cabin is just a little more than a few meters of walking. Come on, pack up your stuff, and meet me at the dining pavilion at 6:30_.

I threw a bunch of clothes into my suitcase, and the stuff I'd need for two weeks. It would probably be more like a vacation, I thought. **You never know what's going to come up. It could be things you never encountered before. If only it was that easy...**

I brought my duffel bag to the dining pavilion. Percy was there already. "Hey, for the first time, I'm actually earlier than you!" he said, grinning.

"Yeah, emphasis on first," I said.

Just then, Drew and Nick walked in. Drew threw a flirty smile in Percy's direction. _She so wants you. _**I'm used to it.** **Girls are totally attracted to me. **

Ah, my dear Percy. If only you knew. **Knew what?** _Never mind._

"Two pairs up," Chiron said. "Good job. I'll be blowing the conch horn in 5 minutes, signaling that you can leave for Mount Olympus."

After eating two slices of toast, some yogurt, cereal, and milk, Percy and I went to wait at the border. We stood there as we saw a few other pairs run up to Thalia's pine tree: Travis and Katie, Clarisse and Chris, and Will and Castor.

Suddenly, Chiron's conch horn sounded. "Good luck to all contestants!" the centaur shouted.

"Come on!" I grabbed Percy's hand as we ran down the hill. **Her hand is soft. I could hold it all day.** I laughed while Percy turned a deep shade of red.

We took the New York subway to the Empire State Building. I started drifting off. My last thought was Percy.

* * *

"Annabeth! Wake up!" someone was shouting.

I muttered something that sounded like, "Canaygemorleep."

"Annabeth! My head's on fire!"

"Whaidoncare."

"Some girl is trying to kiss me."

"WHAT?! WHERE?!" I screamed. Oops. Now I have everyone's attention on the subway.

"You should've seen your face," Percy said, laughing so hard he was clutching his stomach. "Priceless. Oh, and thanks for the workout, Annabeth," he added, pointing to his abs. I groaned.

We got off the subway and ran all the way to the Empire State Building.

As usual, the bald-headed security guard was there reading a magazine. "600th floor," Percy said.

"There's no such thing as the 600th floor, kiddo. Get lost," the guard said behind his super interesting magazine. **I wanna kick his oversized butt.**

Time for Annabeth charm. "Can we please have the card to the 600th floor?" I asked with my pleading face. **You** **call that charm?**

"No," the guard said stubbornly. Well then. Things are going to get ugly, guard.

I jumped up and as quick as a cat, snatched the magazine out of the security guy's hands. Hm, he was reading that magazine called Hot Chicks. I can see why he wouldn't put it down. "600th floor key," I said loudly, "otherwise you don't get your lady stalker magazine back." The guard turned red and handed over the card. I returned the magazine. **Now** **that's what I call charm.** _Why, thank you. _

The elevator ride was strangely longer than usual. The elevator was the kind that had mirrors in it. So basically, wherever I looked, I saw Percy and I reflected a million times. I tried not to stare at his face: his bright sea green eyes (DO NOT LOOK INTO), tousled dark hair (MUST RESIST URGE TO RUN HANDS THROUGH), and full lips (DO NOT MAKE MOVE). And because it's what I usually do, I made a mental list. A list of where not to look.

1. Percy's face.

2. His muscular arms.

3. His abs poking through shirt.

4. I'm a mess. Don't look there either.

When I finally got the courage to peep at his face, I saw he was smirking slightly. Oh. I forgot. HE CAN HEAR MY THOUGHTS ASDFGHJKL. Ok Annabeth, go to poker face mode.

Finally, the elevator dinged. 600th floor! Yess! Now I can stare at my architecture. **Hey, you did a good job.** _Oh, heheh thanks._ He must've noticed my statue of him. **YOU MADE A STATUE OF ME? WHERE?** I showed him that statue. It was 15 feet in height, and made him look like a god. **Oh man, Annabeth. You are the best.** I tried that poker face again.

In the throne room, we found Demeter standing impatiently. "Well, took you guys a while. Fourth couple to come," she grumbled. I noticed Percy redden at the word "couple". "Oh, my dear," said Demeter addressing me. "With that skinny body of yours, you need to eat more cereal. It's good! So anyway, my challenge is simple: in the state of Kentucky, you will look for the place I would like the most. And bam! The next god to give you a challenge would wait for you there. Good luck! Eat more cereal!" With that happy note, she disappeared with a swirl of grain. Honestly, she took her cereal too far.

"I definitely agree. We should drive to Kentucky," Percy said.

Percy went to his car and I followed. It was a sea green convertible, gift from Hephaestus. It ran on monster energy. Efficient, huh? It also had some pretty cool powers, like invisibility, and being able to fly. The convertible went faster than other cars too. The maximum speed was 300 miles per hour. We could drive that fast, invisible. Ha. Take that, policemen. **You have a pretty rebellious mind for a girl who follows rules all the time ;)**

"Can I drive?" I asked.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because."

Seeing this would go nowhere, I just groaned and sat back. He started the engine. "That's my girl," Percy said. 'What? Was he talking to me?' I thought hopefully. **Nope. I call my car 'my girl'. Cuz, you know, it's so cool. Probably worth like 10 million bucks. But I'm never going to sell it.** *frustration mode* I slapped Percy on the knee. "Ok, I get it. Now stop rambling on about your awesome car."

"I know you're jealous of my car," Percy replied, winking. That made him seem really cute, for some reason. Grr... I need to stop being so distracted. Despite every little detail running through Percy's head that I couldn't make sense of, it seemed pretty calm. Percy bent down to kiss my hair, but already drifting off to unconsciousness, I couldn't quite figure out if it was real, or just happening in my mind.

**A/N: Reviews are more than welcome! ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: My excuse for not updating is upcoming tests. **

**Do you think this story is going too fast? Should I add in more filler chapters? PM message me your answers! enjoy this chapter though!**

**Please note: story idea comes from dnapolymerase314**

* * *

A bump in the road jolted me awake. "Where are we?" I asked.

"West Virginia," Percy said. "About 10 more minutes until we cross the border to Kentucky."

"So, any ideas on where Demeter's favorite place would be?" I asked.

"Not really, but she would definitely like a farm or some cereal place," Percy replied.

"GPS please," I said. I typed in "cereal factory", and got one result. Lucky Charms Cereal Factory. "Percy!" I shouted gleefully. "Found it!"

"Good going, Annabeth. Now, please consider not damaging my ear drums." Percy said.

"Oh. Oops." I replied sheepishly.

-30 minutes later-

Percy parked his convertible at the entrance of the factory. The sun was setting, painting the sky with colors from purple to a faint orange glow. It was beautiful. There was only one thing that was more pretty than that. Hahaha you guessed it. Cliché, I know.

"Uh, you coming out or not?" Percy asked. Yup. Stuck in my thoughts as usual. Percy held out a hand and I grabbed it hauling myself out of the car. I felt his familiar scars and callouses from years of training and fighting.

"Whoa, this place is huge," Percy said looking at the giant building looming ahead of us.

"No kidding, Captain Obvious," I replied.

"Back to you, Lieutenant Sarcasm," Percy said somewhat smugly. I shoved him playfully.

Percy held out the door for me (just like a gentleman!), while smirking (not really). We walked into the factory. The smell of marshmallows and cereal was overpowering. There were piles of it everywhere.

We walked by rows and rows of cereal, without any luck on finding Demeter and getting our next challenge. Suddenly, I found myself tripping over something. "What the *insert choice words here*?!" I screamed as I dove headfirst into a mound of cereal. **She's graceful even when tripping :D **

"Well Percy," I said. "Can you at least help me up?" He stuck a hand for me to grasp onto. It actually took me a while to get out, and I had gotten a mouthful of cereal in my mouth on accident. Ok, I am definitely never eating cereal again.

"Look at that skinny body of yours! You need to eat more cereal!" Percy said in a nagging voice. I snorted at his perfect imitation of Demeter. Looking down, I saw that I tripped over a machine part. How clumsy of me.

Looking ahead, I saw a light. "Percy! There!" I called, excited. I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the light. In a burst of cereal (not again!) Demeter appeared.

"Congratulations on completing my challenge!" she boomed. I didn't know her voice could even get that loud. Whatever. "Your next challenge will be from Hephaestus!" In another burst of cereal (I pretended to throw up) she disappeared.

"Hello, demigods," Hephaestus boomed even louder. When will the gods learn to use indoor voices? "Your challenge will be to humiliate Aphrodite and Ares. They will be going to Olympus Nightclub tomorrow night, and I want you to do whatever you can to embarrass them. I'll give you a video recorder to tape them. The video will be played live on Hephaestus-TV. You have all of tomorrow to plan. Oh, just go into Neon nightclub in Mississippi and go into the closet, where there will be a secret set of staircases leading to the nightclub. I will transport you to a hotel in Mississippi to save you the driving time. Good luck!" Hephaestus snapped his fingers, and the cereal factory suddenly disappeared.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in front of a huge building made completely of glass. Fancy, I know. I read the sign. Hotel Caraché. Ha, take that gods. You have to pay for our trip! I hope it was Aphrodite. I entered the hotel with Percy, and found the person sitting behind the receptionist desk. "A room for two, please," I said.

"Do you lovebirds want one king-sized bed?" the receptionist asked, smirking slightly.

"What?! No! Just two queen ones." Percy said quickly. Oh, I forgot, we were arm in arm. I quickly let go, pretty sure my face was beet-red.

"That would be $1000, for one night, if you can afford it." she said. "Are you sure you can pay for it?"

"YES." I said, rather impatiently. Anytime now. Suddenly, receptionist's face was wiped blank, and after a few seconds, she turned to us, confused.

"Oh, of course, here's your room key," she said, handing a card with the room number 790 on it.

I grinned and ran to the elevator. Thankfully this elevator was made out of glass, instead of mirrors (COUGH COUGH Olympus elevator where we were surrounded by millions of reflections of us).

I stuck the room key card into the slot and entered. Our suite was pretty nice, with a fully equipped kitchen (FOOOD), a nice living room, big bathroom (perfect for long showers!), and of course, TWO beds.

Somehow, all my luggage was on the bed already. Cool. I flipped through my suitcase, looking for my pajamas. All I found were my day clothes, toiletries, a cami, and some shorts so short it should have been illegal. Darn it. Percy was going to see me in that cami and shorts when I'm going to sleep. Argh, I'm so screwed. It was the only thing I had that was comfortable, and I did NOT want to sleep in my skinny jeans and sweater.

I stomped into the bathroom. Camis and shorts. Camis and shorts. **Uh...Annabeth, you ok in there? **_Fine, Percy._

When I stepped out, I found that Percy was waiting impatiently outside. "What took you so long?" he demanded. Just then, he noticed what I was wearing. **Wait a second, why is she wearing just an underwear?**

"Percy!" I screamed, probably waking up our downstairs neighbors.

"I was just kidding," he replied, smirking. Somehow, his smirk was both endearing and annoying. Wait, how was that even possible? My brain was finally failing me.

"Well then, good night," I said, yawning. It would be a long day of planning tomorrow. And honestly, I think I'm going to enjoy publicly humiliating Aphrodite.

**A/N Please review! (And read the A/N in the beginning of this chapter!) See ya in the next chapter :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: New chapter! Oops, it has been a week since I last updated. Just saying, I wrote this chapter when I was half-asleep. Beware! Ahaha jk ;) enjoy!**

Time for the AAHP (Aphrodite Ares Humiliation Plan)! This was going to be fun. I grabbed a pad of paper and a pen.

"So, Percy, any ideas?" I asked.

"Uh...I dunno," Percy replied.

"Hey, don't you want to see Ares turn red in front of all the gods?"

"Yeah, but my brain is fresh out of ideas."

"Coffee time."

I bought four cups of coffee from room service (perks of not having to pay for things) and they were immediately delivered to us. Our ADHD brains needed a power-up.

"Ha! I got it!" I said excitedly. "We could reserve an area just for Aphrodite and Ares, but booby trap it."

I grinned. "It'd be fun to watch them slip n' slide."

"Oh! And at one place, we can have a bucket dump smelly fish all over the person who walks underneath."

Hmm, Percy was really on a roll. His ideas weren't bad, I suppose.

**Maybe as good as any Athena plan.**

_No way! My plans are worth millions of yours._

**Nuh uh! I made up most of the AAHP!**

_Nope! I got the booby-trapping idea!_

**I got the slipping idea.**

_Ok, let's stop arguing for now._

"So...what else should we do?" I asked out loud.

"We should put superglue on the ground, and make their shoes stick," Percy said.

"Alright then. Let's go shopping for our supplies."

* * *

We went into Walmart with me holding the shopping list. Hey, don't blame me for being so organized! We had to buy: 10 canisters of grease, large paintbrushes for smearing the grease, caution tape (for marking Aphrodite's and Ares's dance spot), rotten fish (dunno where to get those), thin string, one bucket with a really good handle, and one tub of superglue (the best stick!).

We wandered aimlessly through the store, looking for grease. Really, where do they sell this stuff? We passed by a little girl with her mom.

"Mom," she said, "I want a boyfriend too." **Whoa there, girl.** _I know, right._

"Um...we're not dating," I started, but the girl's mom interrupted.

"Hey, it's ok," she said. "You don't have to pretend in front my daughter. She's a little off sometimes. Just do what you usually do."

"What? But we really aren't-" Percy started.

"What's your name?" the girl asked.

"Percy..."

"And you?" she asked pointing to me.

"Uh...Annabeth?"

"PERCABETH!" She screamed really loudly. I flinched. Where did she learn this stuff?

"Huh?" Percy asked, totally clueless.

"It's our ship name, duh," I replied. "Perc for Percy, Abeth, for Annabeth? Get it?"

"Oh! So she ships us." *facepalm* NO FREAKIN DUH. **What? It's not like I ship people all the time.**

"Um...nice talking to you...uh..." I said to the girl.

"Alice," she said, and walked off with her mom, skipping.

"Jeez," Percy said. "That was weird."

"Very awkward," I agreed.

* * *

Well, I'm not going to go through rest of the details of shopping with Percy, because I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be interested in us getting lost in the store, me dumping super glue on Percy's hair (I swear, it was on accident!), or forgetting to pay at the cash register. Luckily, the gods did a bit of their work and changed the cashier's mind before she called the security.

But right now, we have a dilemma. Where do you even find rotten fish? Not in Walmart, of course. Bad for business. **Not anywhere.**

_I was being sarcastic..._

**Oh.**

Percy. He will always be a seaweed brain no matter what.

We walked into an outdoor market, where they sold a variety of food. We immediately went into the seafood section. Maybe, just maybe, there might be rotten fish left over from yesterday's sales. Percy walked up to a man behind a counter with piles of a variety of fish. I could see Percy cringing at the sight of so many dead fish. Oh, right. Being the son of Poseidon and all. Sympathy for seafood. **Hey, I do not have sympathy for seafood!** I wonder why he suggested the rotten fish thing in the first place.

"Hey, um, do you have rotten fish? Or something really disgusting or slimy?" Percy asked. Just then, I noticed how the man looked. He had black hair, with bits of gray in it, a slightly wrinkled face, probably smile lines, and bright green eyes that stood out. He reminded me of someone.

"Oh, I have a bunch," the man replied. "The fish I sell are ones that already died, which means that I didn't kill any of them. I hate to see animals from the ocean get killed, but as they say, food is food. However, the fish tend to rot easily."

"Well, that's great, we need the fish," I said, surprised by our luck. Was I imagining things, or did the man shoot me a look of annoyance? To Percy, however, the man grinned and handed him a large bag of fish, which he held as far away from him as he could.

"Um... do we still need to pay?" Percy asked.

"Nope, it's already been taken care of," the man said, winking. With that, he disappeared.

"What was that?" I asked, confused. "He was just there, and now he's gone."

Percy just stared wide-eyed. "I think... that's my... dad."

"WHAT?" I asked, laughing. No way. Poseidon, selling fish? Oh, wait. He reminded me of someone, and that was Percy! Argh, how could I forget? And he also disappeared. "Are gods even allowed to help out their children in the race?"

"I dunno, maybe not, but we can keep a secret, right?" Percy said, winking at me. In that moment, he seemed so much like Poseidon, a god, really, I didn't get why he turned down the offer of being the immortal lieutenant of his father after he saved Olympus. He never actually told me.

"Percy?" I asked tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you turn down the offer of being a god?"

Percy's face turned a little pink, but with all the traces of humor gone from before. "Well, it's hard to explain. Maybe... I'll tell you when the time is right."

What was that supposed to mean? I tried listening to his mind, but got nothing.

"Come on, Annabeth. Lets go to the nightclub, ok?" Percy said, probably to change the subject.

* * *

Luckily, there was nobody at the nightclub. Well, actually, nobody would be there anyway, because it was during the daytime. It was called 'nightclub' for a reason. We decided to reserve half of the space for Aphrodite and Ares. I'm pretty sure all the minor gods, dryads, and saytrs would give up some of their space for two major gods. We pulled the caution tape across half of the room. I tacked a sign saying "reserved for Aphrodite and Ares". Percy took a paintbrush and smeared grease all over the reserved area. I didn't know if the superglue thing would work, because the two gods might not have the luck to step in that area, but I still spread it on the floor. Just in case. Now, for the rotten fish bucket contraption. I had to use the string as something for Aphrodite's foot to touch, so the bucket of fish would come splattering on her.

"I know how to make something like that," Percy said, appearing at my side. How did he finish greasing the floor so fast? He probably didn't get tired because he had so much muscle. Oh gods, better not think about that right now. I tried to pay attention to his explanation of how to make the bucket fall, but with no such luck. "So, how is the idea, Annabeth?" Percy saying my name jolted me out of my daydreaming.

"Huh? Oh yeah, it's great. I'll go get the ladder." I replied, and hastily left for the supply closet. I took the ladder out wheeled it to Percy. He climbed the ladder and attached a piece of string with the bucket of fish to the ceiling. Then he took another length of string and attached it to the bucket's rim. He brought the string down, careful not to dump the fish on himself, and strung it through a two small metal stakes on the dance floor. "There. That should work," he said.

"Wanna test if it does?" I asked, smirking.

"You go first," he said gallantly.

"Actually, I'll pass."

* * *

Music started playing as dryads, saytrs, and minor gods started trickling in at around 8 o'clock. They noticed the caution tape, and decided not to go in. Good. Plan is going well so far. I held up the video recorder, wondering when Aphrodite and Ares would come in.

At 8:30, I noticed the crowd split, and realized Aphrodite and Ares were coming through. Yes! I started recording. "Aphrodite and Ares, Olympus Nightclub at Mississippi." I said into the videocamera.

I watched as the couple went into the nightclub. Aphrodite was wearing a fluffy pink dress, which was a shame if it was ruined (oh wait, not really), and Ares was wearing a regular suit. "Oh!" Aphrodite said, giggling, "a spot reserved just for us!" She kissed Ares's cheek. Never put love and war together. Ares led Aphrodite to the taped off area, and they started walking down the path, just as I hoped. I noticed Percy was smirking slightly. Aphrodite, now pulling Ares, realized that Ares wasn't moving. "Ares!" She whined. "Come on!"

"I... can't." he admitted. Ha! Superglue! The rest of the dancers at the nightclub were laughing along.

Aphrodite, not realizing anything, continued to pull. Really, what was she thinking? Suddenly, Ares popped out of his shoes and went flying with Aphrodite. I tried to hide my laugh, since I was holding the videocamera. It did not work. Percy was holding his stomach, laughing so hard you couldn't even hear his laugh. Finally landing (well, in grease of course), Aphrodite tried to get up, but her heels moved from underneath her, and she went sliding. Ares had the same happen to him. Then, Aphrodite was nearing the string. Please hit the string. Please hit the string...

It turns out: she did! The bucket of fish got dumped on her head, and the slime was dripping down to her dress. Her mouth opened into an "o" and her eyes went wide. "My dear! Are you ok?" asked came Ares's voice.

"Fine." Said Aphrodite. **LOOK AT HER SHOCKED FACE AHAHA I CAN'T...** Percy and I just spent the rest of the time laughing. It was a good workout, actually. When we finally calmed down, we realized the videocamera was still running. I went over and quickly turned it off. The gods did not need to see Percy and I laughing. Aphrodite and Ares had already left, due to humiliation.

I ran over, and high-fived Percy. "That was the best night ever!" I screamed. Maybe I was sounding a little like Aphrodite. Oops. I better stop before it turns into a habit.

He grinned back at me. "Sure is." Then, he took on a more serious face. "I wonder what our next challenge will be."

I took his hand, and when he didn't object, smiled. "What?" He asked.

"It's just that... I'm pretty sure we'd make it through without a scratch."

**A/N: Check out my new bio and review! C:**


	6. Chapter 6

**New chapter woot woot! Thanks for the reviews and support :)**

When we went back to our hotel room, we found Hephaestus waiting for us. "Good job!" he said to us with a proud look. "We got a good laugh up at Olympus."

Gulp. What if Aphrodite and Ares found out we were the ones who set up the plan? That would not be good. I didn't want to suffer the wrath of Aphrodite. She would probably make me wear dresses and makeup forever, including my time in the underworld.

Hephaestus laughed, a big booming one. What, did he actually hear that? How come it seems everyone can read my mind nowadays? "Eh, I wouldn't tell them, and I'm pretty sure the other gods won't either, for the sake of more entertainment. Hey, it's my automatons calling! I better get going now. Good luck on the next challenge!"

I sighed, wishing that the upcoming challenges wouldn't be as time-taking. **Yeah, the gods would totally go easy on us. **

_What challenges do you think they would come up with?_

**I dunno. Ares would probably make us fight him or something. Aphrodite, ugh, I don't even wanna think about. Apollo might make us listen to his poetry. Ok, I'm shuddering at that thought. Forget it.**

Suddenly, someone popped out in front of us. "Mom!" I shrieked. "Sorry. You just scared me. You know, popping out like that." **My brain barely processed your scream. It was too high. **

_Because your brain doesn't make enough neuron connections._**(A/N: I think that's how thoughts are made... Excuse me if I'm wrong)**

Athena gave me a look, seemingly saying, 'that's my girl, using science in a situation like this'. Score! Me: 1 Percy: 0. "Good evening, Annabeth," she said, not acknowledging Percy.

"Hey! What about me?" Percy asked. Okay, his brain really wasn't working. Is he trying to get in trouble?

Athena glared, and even though it wasn't directed at me, I flinched. "Seaweed brain."

"That's already Annabeth's nickname for me."

"Sea spawn."

"Taken."

"Barnacle head."

"Used."

"Kelp boy."

"Thalia's idea."

"Clam shell." Athena actually looked amused, trying out different names for Poseidon's son.

"Thalia's other nickname for me."

"Fish egg."

"Thalia's again."

"How many nicknames do you have?"

"Oh, about twenty."

"Then what do I call you? All the nicknames are taken."

"Just plain old Percy would be fine, thank you." Percy was smirking.

Athena shot Percy another one of her famous glares, but surprisingly, he did not get in trouble. One day, the perks of being the savior of Olympus will not go as far. At least most of the Poseidon/Athena tension disappeared.

"Anyway, as I was going to say, my challenge will be easy. I will give you two riddles. The answer of the riddles will give you a location to go to for your next challenge. Do you have a pencil and paper to write the riddles down on?"

I scrambled for the hotel stationery, and held my pen at ready.

"First riddle: What has roots that nobody sees, yet is as tall as trees? Up it goes, but never grows.

"Second riddle: I have four wings, but cannot fly, I don't laugh and never cry. On the same spot I'm always found, toiling around without a sound. What am I?"

I thought my mom would go easy on us, considering the fact that, well, she's my mom, but I guess not. The riddles left me confused.

"Annabeth," Athena said, interrupting my thoughts. "I brought you pajamas. You seriously cannot be considering wearing that cami in front of Fish Breath, right?" She handed me a silk shirt with owl designs and matching pants. I wasn't sure whose face was redder: mine or Percy's.

"I expect a lot from you on this one Annabeth," Athena said.

After Athena disappeared, I went to the bathroom to change into my owl pajamas. I was tired. You know, go to bed early. Ok, fine. I kinda rushed to the bathroom so Percy wouldn't see my blush. I waited until my face cooled down, exited the bathroom, and flopped down on the bed. What has roots that nobody sees...

* * *

I woke up because of a pillow. Yes, you heard right. A pillow, thrown on me by Percy. "Percy!" I screamed, picking up my own pillow and chucking it at him. He laughed, and dodged easily.

"Is this calling for a pillow fight?" he asked mischievously.

I snickered. "You're on." Percy threw another pillow at me, and I ducked. I picked up the fallen pillow, raised it, faked a right, but threw it left just as Percy went in that direction. It hit him square in the chest. One point for me!

"You're not getting away with that," Percy said. I screamed and ran away, like a little girl. I could hear him chuckle as he wrapped a long arm around me. And because it was normal for me, I froze. He has his arm around me! HE HAS HIS ARM AROUND ME! **Yes, I do.** And being that sensible person I am, I turned around to face him. Big mistake. His face was inches from mine, and all I could see were his deep green eyes that currently held humor. There was so much you could learn from just looking at Percy's eyes. When they shined brightly, you could tell he was happy or excited. When they got darker and seemed to have black flecks, it meant he was angry. Oh, I could spend hours just thinking about him.

Percy's face kept inching closer and closer to mine. I also noticed a bird-like birthmark above his eyebrow. Stupid ADHD. This is embarrassing even though I have nothing to be embarrassed about. Right now, I can do two things. Number 1, I could lean forward and close the gap. Or number 2, I could pull away and give an excuse. Fine, I'll admit I am cowardly. If we did kiss, I swear, I'd die right here, and now. My obituary would probably say something like: died because of heart failure after kissing Percy. That wouldn't be very heroic at all. So yes, I did pick the second option.

"Um... we still need to finish the riddles, right?" I asked awkwardly.

"Oh. Yeah, we do," Percy said, backing away immediately. The tension was so thick, I could almost touch it. Percy decided to break the silence. "So, uh, the first one. What has roots that nobody sees, yet is as tall as trees? Up it goes, but never grows. Any ideas?"

"It can't be alive, I guess. It never grows."

"Yeah. It's gotta be big." (Facepalm moment.)

"Of course it's big! It says up it goes."

"No, I mean because of the roots. The riddle says that it has roots nobody sees, so it's gotta be really deep."

"Oh, right." I guess I shouldn't be underestimating him him anymore. Under all that silliness, there was smartness. There was hope for him, after all. **Of course I'm smart! I needed smartness to save Olympus, right?** _I guess that's true too._

"Ok. So the thing in the riddle is tall, big, and is not exactly alive."

I looked out the hotel window. The sun rising, illuminating the mountains it was behind of. It was such a beautiful view. Oh wait- MOUNTAINS! That thought exploded in my head. It wasn't just because I was super excited; it was because Percy thought of it the exact same time. Coincidences. My life was filled with them.

The answer of the riddle was mountains! It made perfect sense. Now, the second riddle. It seemed harder. "I have four wings, but cannot fly, I don't laugh and never cry. On the same spot I'm always found, toiling around without a sound. What am I?"

"The object is obviously not alive."

"It works hard, too," I added.

"It has to be a machine of some sort." That was a good start, actually. However, I was pretty much out of ideas and stressed by the fact that we might not be able to finish the challenge. All I said before about believing we'd finish... yeah, I don't really think so anymore. Percy appeared to have noticed my stressing out.

"Annabeth?" he asked. "Do you want to go do something fun? We can forget all this right now."

I looked up at him, and slowly smiled. "Sure."

**A/N: Review please! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I didn't update in about two weeks D: sorry guys. But I made this chapter extra long(: enjoy!**

I have to admit, agreeing with Percy's idea to "have fun" now seemed like a bad idea. Seriously, what was I thinking? Athena kids do not have fun. They are supposed to study, read, and learn new things. I thought about my mom, and how she might be looking over us right now. *shudder* And plus, what if we were behind the other groups on the race? I really want to get first place.

"Jeez, relax, Annabeth," Percy said. "Everybody needs to have fun. And besides, I bet the other groups are still stuck in piles of cereal at the cereal factory." I guess that was true. Two days, two challenges.

"So, where are we going?" I asked. We never even stopped, and Percy seemed to know exactly where to go.

Percy smiled his lopsided smile, the one that always made my heart stop, and winked. "You'll see."

* * *

I must've fallen asleep in the car, because when I woke up, we were already at the "destination". Percy grinned down at me.

"Now will you tell me where we are?" I asked.

"Manila Bay Amusement park, Florida," Percy said.** (A/N I made that up :/)**

I gulped. Amusement parks and I did not mix. After spiders, my next fear is roller coasters and other scary rides. The last time I rode a roller coaster, which was also the first time, I was 6. Sure, I was really little, but I remember that day very clearly. My dad had brought me to Disneyland, and he decided to ride a kid roller coaster with me. When I got off the ride, I was pretty much sick the rest of the day. Even though that was a long time ago, that fear still stayed with me. I remember back when Percy and I were 11, we had to go retrieve a shield for Ares at the abandoned water park. We accidentally rode a water ride, which had spiders and steep slopes. It was pretty much the worst experience I've ever had. Imagine: two of the things you fear the most, combined! Obviously, Percy had thought I was just screaming because of the spiders.

I don't know how I'd react to a roller coaster now, but I really didn't want to try. **You're scared? Really?** **The Annabeth Chase who has been fighting monsters since the age of seven, scared of roller coasters? You really need to get rid of that fear.**

_Hey! We all have different fears! And besides, nobody is supposed to know about that. _

**The perks of being able to listen to other's thoughts. Don't worry, I won't tell, but only if you ride a roller coaster with me. It'll be exciting.**

The thought of riding a roller coaster with Percy exhilarated me, but also made me nervous. What if I threw up into his lap? **Then I'll clean it up...duh.**

I glared at him, but then, resignedly, sighed. He wasn't going to let me out of this.

Percy led me to a kiddie roller coaster that had little slopes. Phew. Maybe I'll survive it. **No! Not that one!** **Check out the roller coaster next to it. That's the one we are going on. **I stared at the next roller coaster, and a wave of nausea washed over me. Just looking at it made me dizzy. The roller coaster had gigantic slopes, about 50 feet tall, at a huge loop in the middle. I clung on to Percy's arm.

"I-I can't ride that." I said.

Smirking, he dragged me to the line instead of answering. Oh gods.

As we were nearing the front, I was hyperventilating. This was not happening. No. I was not going to ride that roller coaster.** Yes you are.**

Finally, we reached the front of the line. "Percy!" I begged. "Can I NOT ride this?"

"Ooh, Annabeth begging. That's new. But no! We waited in line for so long. And plus, that little girl behind us wants to ride it too."

Oh. That was true. I looked away to hide my embarrassment.

"Percy..." I started. I was never going to say it, but, "_please _can we go on another ride?"

Percy smirked again. "You can hold my hand," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Why did he have to make those irresistible offers?

The roller coaster came to a stop in front of us, and Percy got in first while I followed. I pulled the safety bar down, with my arms shaking. After that, I grabbed his hand.

The countdown for the ride started. 3...2...1... GO!

The roller coaster car shot upward. My screaming was so high-pitched I couldn't even hear it. My grip tightened of Percy's hand. "Percy! I'll kill you!" I screamed, but I came out as a squeak. Beside me, Percy was laughing and having the time of his life. How was that even possible?

Then came the loop. I thought I was going to faint right there. Surprisingly, I didn't. Going upside down on the loop felt just like being right side up. Cool.

The biggest slope in the roller coaster was coming up now. Stay calm, Annabeth. Stay calm. For some reason, my pep talks didn't work right now. I was shaking and squirming in my seat. And the fall came.

My stomach felt like it rose to my throat. My eyes were squeezed shut, and I screamed the loudest I've ever screamed. Even Percy momentarily took his hand away from mine to cover his ears.

There was a snap! and a flash, and the ride was over.

I stumbled out of the cart, using Percy to prop me up. At least I didn't throw up. "That wasn't that bad, was it?" Percy said.

"Yeah, I had so much fun," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. But actually, when I think about it, it was, well, interesting.

"You just don't want to admit it," Percy said smugly.

It turns out, the ride took pictures of us. Uh-oh. In the picture, Percy was grinning and looking good like his usual self, while I was- no. My hair was all over the place and my face was all scrunched up. Yep, I was a mess.

"Beautiful," someone murmured. Percy was looking away, so I must've imagined it,

"Come on, there's this other ride I want to show you," Percy suddenly said.

At the other side of the park, there was one of those rides where it swings really high, and then into a full rotation, with the riders up-side down at one point. I didn't really like those either, and it happened to be the ride Percy wanted to show me. Just great. Percy practically had to drag me on the ride.

We sat facing each other, and the ride started. Somehow, looking into his eyes made the ride less scary. I noticed that Percy was also smiling, a sincere one, not a smirk, as he stared at me as well. I felt myself lean forward, and I noticed he was as well. I closed my eyes...

And I couldn't lean anymore. I tried forcing myself forward, but found I couldn't move that far. What?! Oh. Shoot. It was the bar that held me in place that prevented me from leaning far enough to kiss Percy. So what if I fell without it? Who cares? . .

Percy's thoughts went something along these lines: Oh gods oh gods what was I trying to do oh gods.

Talk about more than awkward. I was probably as red as a tomato throughout the rest of the ride. I tried looking anywhere but his eyes. I pretended to be scared, but honestly, the ride wasn't really scary anymore, given the fact that my brain was preoccupied with our embarrassing moment.

When we got off the ride, Percy asked, "Do you want to...uh...go down to the beach?"

"Sure," I agreed.

We walked down the pier all the way to the beach. It was pretty relaxing, listening to the gulls, smelling the salty water, and looking at the blue sky and cotton-candy clouds. I almost forgot about the embarrassing ride.

It was a really nice day out. We sat down on the sand, watching the little children playing with sand castles. You can say this is one of those rare moments.

After a while, Percy said, "Do you ever feel like the world expects so much out of you?"

I was a little startled by the question, but I answered, "I guess, sometimes. Honestly, being the architect of Olympus is hard. Everyone is giving their own opinion about everything, and it's just hard to build something that everybody would be pleased about."

Percy nodded. "Ever since I've been the 'Savior of Olympus', I feel like people expect me to do great things. They think I'd be going on quests and killing monsters for fun, but that's just not what I do. Apparently, I just don't live up to their expectations anymore. I mean, I just want to be a normal guy. Not someone who shows off their talents and heroism."

"It's ok, Percy, you live up to my expectations, and even more," I said without thinking. I blushed and looked away.

I could feel Percy smile, without looking at his face. "Thanks, Annabeth." He took my hand. My heart was beating so loudly, I bet Percy could hear it.

"Uh...d-do you want something to eat?" I asked. Real smooth.

"Sure," Percy said grinning. I reluctantly let go of his hand and went to the nearest food booth. The line was really long, but finally it was my turn to order.I got two hot dogs, fries, and two cokes.

When I got back from getting the food, I realized something was very wrong. Mortals were running around, screaming, and Percy was not where I'd left him. Really, did he need someone to look after him 24/7?

"Percy?" I screamed, a bit TOO frantically.

No reply. "Percy!" I yelled again. My eyes scanned the area. There he was, or at least, someone who looked like Percy. He was battling something. I couldn't see it very well.

"IT'S A ROGUE ZEBRA!" someone shouted. The thing has got to be a monster. I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be a zebra on the beaches of Florida. It was most likely the mist working its magic again.

Zebra or not, I had to help Percy. It looked like he was having a hard time.** I forgot** **how to defeat this thing!**

Even in my mind, Percy sounded out of breath and tired. _Coming._

I sprinted to Percy and that thing, and when I got close enough, I realized it was a hydra. If there was a monster that Percy couldn't deal with, it would be the Hydra. His gut instinct would be to cut off its heads, just like what he'd do to any regular monster. _PERCY_! I mentally shouted. _YOU FREAKING FOUGHT THIS BEFORE, AND YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DEFEAT IT?!_ By now, the hydra had 20 heads. One of the heads struck at Percy, and he sliced it off. The stump regrew into two more heads. _PERSEUS JACKSON!_

He winced. **Ok ok, a little help?**

I groaned and dug into a little backpack I kept with me at all times. It contained food and survival supplies. Finally, after rummaging through granola bars, water, ambrosia, nectar, and cash, I finally found what I was looking for: matches.

I shook the box, and all the matches came flying out. Oops. I grabbed one, struck it, and it lit. "Percy! Chop off the head!" I yelled.

I seriously wondered what the mortals were seeing now.

Percy chopped off a head, and I threw a match at the stump. It caught on fire, and burned away. The remaining 21 heads were screeching.

I whipped out my dagger, and proceeded to chopping off the heads myself. Eighteen more to go. We were making good progress. I haven't had a fight like this for a long time, and so far, I was enjoying it.

The hydra was spitting poison everywhere, but I dodged. One of the heads snapped at me, but I quickly took it out with a slash of my dagger, and burned it. Six more heads left.

Slash and burn. Slash and burn. Two more heads. However, one of the heads was smarter than its friends. Or was it family? It was one body though. Ok, never mind that. When I went to tackle the less smart head, the smart one decided to sneak behind me and spray poison onto my back.

The effect was immediate. The burning of the poison spread quickly, to my neck as well. I screamed, even louder than I did on the roller coaster. Then I fell in a crumpled heap at the foot of the monster. I saw Percy rush forward, chop off both heads, and burn them. The hydra disintegrated.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled, running towards me. "What happened?"

"Hydra poison, what else?" I replied weakly, trying to smile. It came out as a grimace.

"Where?" he asked, frantic.

"My back."

Percy's eyes widened when he saw the wound. He grabbed the nectar from my pack and dripped 3 drops on the burned area. I heard a sizzle, and the pain receded. "Ah. Much better." There was still pain, but it was far more bearable.

"Can you walk?"

I tried getting up, but fell back down, feeling extremely dizzy.

"Then, I guess you'll have to carry me," I said.

Percy grinned. "Of course, my lady," he said. And I blushed for the third time today.

**A/N: I wrote a one-shot called "Twilight Breaking Dawn: The Real Ending", so if you haven't already, be sure to check it out and review/favorite! Anyway, please remember to review for this story too! (:**


	8. Chapter 8

**HIIII! I missed you guys so much! I'm really sorry for not updating for the summer :( But anyway, school starts soon for me D: I don't want to go back there! Enjoy this chapter!**

We found a hotel to stay at for me to rest. Nothing fancy, just what you'd expect out of a regular hotel.

I was laying on my bed, trying to drift off to sleep, but not really succeeding. The hydra attack seemed to wake me up, making me more alert of my surroundings. Percy was sitting at the table, apparently thinking. Now that the amusement park was miles from where we are now, the fun and happiness we had a few hours ago seemed to fade. It was all serious again. We had the riddles from Athena to think about.

Suddenly, an idea dawned on me. "Percy! We've been so stupid! We could've just searched up the answers of the riddle online!"

"Oh," he said. "Guess you're right."

I grabbed my laptop from my bag, the one given to me by Daedalus. The laptop was pretty cool, because you could give it a bunch of commands and it would follow. Plus, it had wifi wherever we went.

I typed in: "I have four wings, but cannot fly, I don't laugh and never cry. On the same spot I'm always found, toiling around without a sound. What am I?"

I clicked on the first search, and there was the answer: a windmill. I guess Athena didn't make the riddle up then. **(A/N: The riddles I actually found online too :D)**

"A windmill located on a mountain," Percy mused.

I typed in another search, and found the specific windmill I was looking for. It was located on the border between Arkansas and Missouri. Perfect.

We went into Percy's car again. The drive was pretty short, and we didn't really talk much.

I stepped out of the car, and stared up at the mountain. It was a pretty long hike. I was suddenly glad I spent time at the rock climbing wall.

We found a trail at the bottom and started walking up. The slope was very steep. I wondered how my converses hadn't already slipped.

I tried thinking of ways to start a conversation with Percy, but I didn't really get anything. What can I say, really? I knew pretty much everything about Percy.

**No, you don't.**

_Then what don't I know? Care to tell me?_

**Erm...**

_So I do know a lot about you._

**Yeah... I guess so. **

I was sure Percy was holding something back, but he was never going to tell me, judging by the way he responded to my question earlier. Then again, I wasn't telling that one secret either.

**Oh? What is that?**

Oops. Why is it so easy to forget we still could hear each other's thoughts? Sooner or later, he'd figure out that I- Phew, caught myself before I spilled the beans.

**Come on, you can trust me.**

_It's not something that I can exactly trust you with..._

**Just tell me. It'll be fine.**

Suddenly, I stepped on something that made a crunch sound, saving me from answering. I lifted my foot, and screamed. Spider! It almost made me wish I had answered Percy's question instead. The spider was the biggest I've ever seen. After stepping on it, its legs were bent in an awkward position, but they were still moving. Looking ahead, I saw a whole line of them. Something I hadn't noticed earlier.

I screamed again, and ran down the path that we just covered.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled. "Come back!"

I was practically in hysterics now. "No!" I screamed. "Not to the spiders!"

I heard footsteps, and in a second later, I was in Percy's arms. He was carrying me bridal style. This was not the time to blush, but I'm pretty sure I did.

"Annabeth, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Sp- sp-" I sputtered.

"Spam?" Percy asked. "It tastes quite good, to be honest. I know you're hungry, but we can get some later if you want..."

"NO! SPIDERS!" I yelled. I sobbed into Percy's shirt. The spiders were probably coming to take revenge on me for being Athena's daughter. I imagined their huge hairy bodies, eight long legs, scary eyes all over, and of course, their fangs dripping with venom. I shuddered violently. Two fears in a day! Percy's face immediately turned serious. He understood my fear of spiders.

"Shh," Percy whispered as he wiped my tears off with his thumb. He held me tightly. "It'll be alright. I promise."

Gradually, I calmed down. I think it was mostly Percy that helped. He was so warm, and I loved the feel of his arms around me. **You're welcome.**

I smiled a little, and he put me down.

"Ready?" He asked.

I nodded. When we got back to where the spiders were earlier, they were gone. I felt so relieved and happy. Because of sudden impulsiveness, I leaned up, and planted a kiss on Percy's cheek. I inwardly groaned. I was definitely losing it. Percy was grinning, probably amused at my thoughts.

_Yeah? What's up?_

Instead of answering, Percy flashed me another smile. I was momentarily in shock, and my heart was beating faster. Percy used that moment to humiliate me further. **I agree with the statement that you are losing it.**

_Can you shut up for a second?_

**But I'm not actually talking, I'm thinking.**

_Same difference._ By now, I had finally regained my composure. I trudged up to the top, not waiting for Percy.

Ahead of us was the windmill. I ran up, wanting to complete the challenge.

There was a crack, and Athena materialized in front of me. Percy arrived a few seconds later, panting with his attempt of catch up.

"Lady Athena," he said bowing a little.

"Mom," I said, lacking the formality.

Athena just smiled. "You have exceeded my expectations," she said. "I think other groups are still struggling with the first riddle. Good job with the spiders too." Now, I wasn't entirely sure she was talking to me. Oops.

Athena then turned her full attention to me. "Annabeth, dear, I have, uh, something to say. I know, there are many things in your life that I do not approve of. However, I trust that you can make your own decisions, just as you have with your architecture on Olympus. I no longer can control what you do, for you have grown into a wonderful young lady. I want you to follow your instincts, and do what makes you happy."

Oh. That was something very new. Athena wasn't really a mother-like figure, but she was certainly acting like one now. "Thank you," I replied, still feeling like I was missing something.

Then, Athena addressed Percy. "Be careful" was all she said before she disappeared.

"Really," Percy groaned. "Why do all gods have to talk in riddles?"

* * *

**OMG I WANT TO WATCH CITY OF BONES SO BAD BUT I DONT KNOW WHEN like I waited forever for the movie and it's finally out! I'm so happy!**

**haha I have another thing I want to talk about. Has any of you read the Infernal Devices before? The trilogy is so amazing! I just finished Clockwork Princess, and tears were running down my face. If they don't make a movie for it, I'm gonna be SO sad :(**

**Also, I made this edit for the cover of this story, do you know if I can put it on? The edit is mine, but the original picture is from tumblr. says the picture has to be mine, but it's partly mine and partly tumblr's... If you know anything about this, please PM me! Thanks! Don't forget to review as well! Love you all (heart that somehow this website doesn't let me post) ;)**


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